The Secret
by AnEarlyEnding
Summary: The lone survivor of a brutal serial killer's rampage, Nagamori Aiko is left mute and emotionally scarred. Already suffering from amnesia, she's left in the hands of the Night Class. What secrets lie in her forgotten past? How are they connected to Rido? Update: There are changes all old chapters. They're going to be important!Ch 5 updated and New Note! Plz Read BOTH!
1. Chapter 1

_The day was warm and sunny and there was a happy breeze surrounding me. 'I hate days like these. Why is it sunny? It shouldn't be sunny.' I thought as I stood motionless like the stone structures all around me. My body was trembling as I silently stared in front of me. I was standing in a large open area with many gray and black stones that stood like beacons for the dead. The grass in this area was green and lush except for six newly dug and refilled brown dirt patches lined up in a row before me. 'How can the birds chirp and flutter around without a care in the world when so much death surrounds them? Life is so callous.'_

_I don't know how long I stood there standing staring at smooth black granite of the six graves. The only things that registered were the people passing by the families beside me, heads in their hands or on their knees crying, giving their sincere regards and moving on with life. Some people stayed, though, to comfort the families. I could hear those poor people weeping loudly sounding like an orchestra that was horribly out of tune. Or perhaps it only seemed as loud because of the silence that had enveloped us. I reached out and touched the black stone before me and traced my fingers over the elegantly engraved Edward's Script. 'To a Sister, a Daughter and a friend. May you rest in heavenly peace.' No one knew her. Other than the name that was elegantly inscribed into the stone, 'Saitou Kiyoku', she was a mystery to the world. Except to me. _

_My eyes widened as images flashed before my eyes. The silhouette, the maniacal grin, the blood, the chains, Kiyoku's anguished screams—her caramel colored eyes glazed over and unseeing, staring deep into my own frightened blue orbs. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered that event hardly a month ago. Even as rescue teams stormed the hideout, rescuing me from a certain death; even as authorities pinned him to the ground and cuffed him; even when I survived the operating room, I knew nothing would ever be the same. I gripped my head in pain and anguish and cried harder. _'Why did it have to be us? How could he have done those things?'_ I though harshly. _'We didn't deserve it! Kiyoku didn't deserve it! She was just trying to start over! She just wanted a new life! WHY?!'_ My whole body shook from the intensity of my tears. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Mrs. Taniyama, a social worker, looking down sadly at me. _

"_Aiko, it's time to go." she told me softly. _

Cross Academy. It looked like an okay place. It was large and slightly intimidating with its castle like appearance, but I suppose that was a part of the appeal of the place. I had heard that you had to be incredibly smart to even get into the place. It made me wonder, to be honest. I didn't consider myself to be the most brilliant student. I mean, sure I'm smart, but am I smart enough to attend one of the best private institutions in this part of Japan? I didn't think so. So it was pretty safe to say that it hadn't been my first choice to go here necessarily, but rather that I didn't have a choice.

"Come on, Aiko, you'll love it here. The town is really nice and quaint and the school is amazing." I turned my attention away from the building looming over the black iron-gate to the tall blonde woman standing next to me. She was a petite woman wearing a black pencil skirt that came just above her knees, a red blouse, and a black suit jacket. Her blonde hair was pulled tightly back into a bun that sat on the crown of her head. Rimless glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, finishing off her very business-no-nonsense look perfectly. I didn't understand why she chose to look like that. I mean, looking professional is one thing, but going so far as to age yourself considerably just to look the part was ridiculous. The woman was no more than early thirties. However, with the way she looked now anyone who didn't know her would say she was approaching her mid-forties. "Plus, it's a new start for you."

I sighed and picked up my bags off the ground, allowing the woman to lead me toward my new home. I had to agree with her. I knew that she had gone through extreme measures to get me signed up and situated, but that didn't change the fact that I was terrified to even be here. How could anyone think it was a good idea to hide someone in such a well renowned place? She led me across the empty grounds of the school to a doorway on the side of the main building. I wasn't really paying much attention to where we were going. Instead I opted to keep my eyes glued to the floor and follow her black high heels. It wasn't until we had twisted and turned down a couple of hallways and trudged up a few flights of stairs that she finally stopped. At this point I looked up to see a pair of oak double doors. The woman knocked loudly on the wood. There was silence for a moment before a cheerful voice told us to come in. I entered the room after my social worker, my eyes immediately meeting two amber eyes. I was quite taken with them. I had never seen amber colored eyes like his. The man the eyes belonged to immediately rose from his seat, a worried and apologetic expression covering his handsome features.

"I'm terribly sorry for making you walk all this way by yourselves. I didn't know you had arrived, Taniyama-san!" the man told us.

Taniyama merely shook her head and waved off his apology. "Not to worry. You're a busy man, Cross-san."

The straw haired man shook his head nonetheless, his ponytail swinging back and forth following his movements, "It is our custom at this institution to take care of one another, new or not."

Taniyama, or Noriko-san as I call her, heaved a sigh and smiled, "Well then apology accepted." She turned her head slightly to the left and gasped. "Ah! I see you've contemplated my proposal then?" I didn't have the faintest idea of what she was talking about. I knew she had been making "special" arrangements for me, but I didn't know to what extent. I took a step closer to her, gently latching on to the back of her suite. She turned her head towards me suddenly, an apologetic smile gracing her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry, Aiko! Here, let me introduce you to some friends of mine." The woman moved her arm around me and pulled me in front of her. With her hands firmly on my shoulders, she anchored me in place, forcing me to face the four males in the room. She indicated towards the man who greeted us first saying, "This is Cross Kaien. He will be your chairman while you stay at the academy. The man leaning against his desk is Yagari Toga," He wore a tan coat and a matching cowboy hat, his long wavy black hair cascaded to his shoulders partially hidden by the turned up collar of his white button up shirt. A black eye patch covered his right crystal blue eye. It contrasted perfectly with his slightly tanned skin and the faint scar just below his lips on the right side of his chin. I think in different circumstances I would have found him fascinating, but the brown strap that was draped over his body diagonally held a weapon that terrified me to the bone. It was the butt end of a large gun. Upon seeing it, I shrank back into Noriko's arms.

She must have noticed because she gave him a pointed look to which he responded, "Yeah, Yeah, I got it" and left the room through a side door.

"Anyway, he's one of the teachers here at the academy. Over here," she said, turning us towards the right side of the room where the last two men stood. "We have Kuran Kaname, the Dorm President of the Moon Dorms," I immediately noticed the sorrow and loneliness in the Dorm President's wine colored eyes. His rich dark brown hair fell about his faultlessly pale face in messy yet perfect waves. It was hard to describe. It was so messy with wisps of hair flying away here and there and yet it framed his melancholy face flawlessly. He wore an all white uniform with black stitching and what looked like the school's emblem at buttons. I got the feeling that it was better to be on his good side than his bad side. It wasn't that I didn't like the guy, but the air about him made me nervous. "And Ichijou Takuma, the Vice President of the Moon Dorms." I liked this guy better. His pale blonde hair fell around his face gently, nearly hiding the beautiful pale green eyes of his. He wore the same attire as the guy beside him. I could tell the two of them were close by the way they were standing side by side, but like most best friends (as I could only assume) they were very different. There was an intense loyalty and kindness shimmering in the Vice President's eyes. The gentle smile on his visage was very calming and inviting. It was comforting and I felt instantly drawn to him. If anything I knew this guy was going to be one I wanted to hang around. "If everything works out, that's where you'll be staying and you'll have to mind whatever rules they lay out for you, okay?" I nodded at her.

"You don't honestly think we're going to simply allow her to enter the Night Class, do you?" everyone in the room turned towards Yagari as he re-entered the room.

I could feel Noriko tense behind me. "She needs to be protected at all times! The Night Class it the best place to put her." my protector proclaimed, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I curled my hands around her forearms tenderly, showing that I appreciate the gesture.

Kaname stepped forward slowly, "It's not as simple as that, I'm afraid. There are reasons why no one has every simply transferred from the Day Class to the Night Class. There are…stipulations that must be adhered to." His voice was kind of deep and held an air of authority. It reminded me of how a king would present himself to his people.

Noriko sighed and I felt her shift behind me, pulling away. "Look, I know and she knows that vampires exist and we know that vampires are all that occupy the Night Class. I'm a part of a well renowned hunter family. I, however, chose to handle a very different aspect of it. Instead of dealing with vampires I deal with their victims."

"Is she a victim of an attack?" Kaname asked, his voice icy.

"Well, no." Noriko replied.

"Then why are we discussing it?" came his callous remark.

Noriko huffed and I could feel her muscles spasm under my fingers indicating that she was aggravated by this man. She let go of me and turned me towards her. "Darling, would you mind stepping outside for a moment? I'll come get you as soon as we're done." I gave her a confused look but complied when she started to lead me back into the hallway and over to a padded bench across the hall. "It'll only be a moment, Aiko. Just put your iPod in and wait until I get you, okay?" I nodded slowly as I retrieved my music device from my pocket and placed the buds in my ears. The woman smiled sadly as she heard the open to Hero by Nickelback blasted through my ears. She shut the double doors behind her, smiling at me one more time. I was thoroughly confused as to why I couldn't be in there with her, but I figured that it was probably for a good reason so I didn't really pay much mind to it. As I sat outside the chairman's office I realize just how tired I was. I hadn't been able to sleep since _it_ happened. The nightmares that plagued me always had me up with a start. Yawning widely I curled up on the bench clutching my orange iPod to my chest, Kansas' Dust in the Wind playing gently in my ears.

I vaguely remembered through my sleep induced haze, someone lifting me off the bench and taking me somewhere. I guessed it was the chairman's room. I don't remember much of what was going on. The only thing I could really make out was the gentle voice of Noriko saying, "Now I must leave. I have things I must attend to. Thank you so much for all that you're doing for her. Oh, and please don't try to force memories of Rido out of her. She had amnesia even before her kidnapping."

"Rido attacked this school two years ago and you're excepting me to simply ignore the only lead I have on a man that is still at large?" it sounded like Kaname's voice. _'Why is it so close? Sounds like its right above me.' _I thought groggily, _'Who's Rido?'_

"Like I said, she's been through a lot. She had incredible amnesia even before her kidnapping and torture. Please, she's been through hell and back. Just let it be until after everything is settled with this case and that monster is put away for the things he did to her." Noriko pleaded with him.

"Kaname, I agree with Taniyama-san. It will be easier for the girl if we simply don't pressure her. We need her to trust us if we are to protect her." a gentle voice spoke, the soft tone rumbling against my side. I remember a hand on my cheek a moment later.

"Remember what I said, okay, Aiko? Next time I see you I want to hear that pretty voice of yours again, okay?" I heard Noriko say softly and then she pressed her lips to my forehead. "Take care of her, alright? She means a lot to me."


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the related characters with the exception of Aiko and Noriko (thus far)

Chapter Two

I guess I had fallen back to sleep after that, because when I woke next I was in a foreign room. It was spacious and the bed I was on was quite large and cushy with a large black lace canopy over it. I could just barely see through the translucent material into the rest of the room. From what I could tell it was still night, though probably more into the early morning hours. There as a large bay window off to my right. On the left side of the window was a large book case. On the right side of the window was a wooden desk. The light from the window revealed, though just barely, the left side of the room. I could see the large white French doors in the furthest corner and a single door directly in front of me. Yet another door, slimmer in width was in the corner closest to my bed, so I took a guess that it was the closet. The other doors must have led to either the bathroom or the hallway. The room was extremely large. I'd never had a room quite this size before. In the center of the room was a maroon sofa and love seat combo with small, but long wooden coffee table sitting in front of the set.

'_Where am I?'_ I asked myself. The last thing I remember was lying on bench outside the chairman's office. _'Oh, and that strange conversation. I wonder who Rido is…'_ Shrugging, I pulled the thick violet duvet covers off my small body, pushed aside the lace curtain and slipped gently to the carpeted floor. There was a pair of white slippers sitting at the foot of my bed, as if expecting my arrival. Shrugging once more, I slipped my feet into the comfy, warm fuzziness with a small smile of satisfaction. Looking up, my breath caught in the back of my throat as I found myself staring at my reflection. I hadn't realized there was a full length mirror next to the closet door. It was one of those oval shaped mirrors that swung frontwards and backwards. I noticed that I was no longer wearing my outfit from earlier, but rather a simple black night gown that reached mid-shin. My long, waist length wine colored hair hung about my pale frame in a wavy mess. Grayish-blue eyes stared wide-eyed back at me. I could see the fading discoloration under my left eye and the black stitches that held my bottom lip together in three different places. On my right cheek, starting in the middle and stretching almost to my ear was a scabbed over cut, jagged and ugly. Rushing over to the mirror I grabbed it, pulling it forward so that the wooden back was facing me, concealing my image. With a sigh and I turned and headed for the two white doors. I figured the double doors probably led into the hallway. I could find someone at the very least and try to figure out where I was.

Opening the door softly I peered cautiously out into the hallway. It was completely empty. I blinked in confusion. Walking out of my room, I left the door slightly ajar and slowly made my way down the long white hallway. I passed a main entrance where a sitting area was, but no one was there. A couple twist and turns later, I found a balcony that over looked a beautiful garden. I had found a small library or study room, a conference looking room and thousands of locked doors, but no people to speak of. I was beginning to freak out. I didn't like the fact that this place was devoid of life. I turned a corner and nearly jumped out of my skin as I nearly ran into a tall figure.

"There you are." Looking up at the deep voiced male, I took in his russet colored hair and liquid topaz eyes. The male looked down at me with slight relief over his face. "We've been looking for you everywhere. You shouldn't be wandering around like this. Makes it difficult to protect you, understand?" he told me gently. I nodded silently, looking up at him apologetically. The tall boy sighed and ran a hand through his ever messy hair. "Oh, don't give me that look. It's alright, okay? Just don't do it again." I nodded and offered him a smile, which he returned. He glanced around for a moment before saying, "I see why you came this way though. It's a great view of the gardens." I turned to the window behind me and glanced out.

To be honest I hadn't been paying attention to what was outside, but now that he mentioned it, it was beautiful. There was a large fountain with a fairy pouring the water out of a jug in the center of the garden. All around the fountain were bush after bush of different colored roses. I loved roses dearly, especially blue roses. I would probably find myself in that garden quite often if I got the chance. "Do you know your way back to your room?" I turned back to the male behind me, shaking my head no. He sighed once again and told me to follow him, muttering something about not leaving places you don't know how to get back to. I hardly paid attention, though I probably should have, to the winging, twisting hallways as we finally made it to the front parlor. This time I was teaming with people. I recognized Ichijou from the chairman's office immediately. He was pacing back and forth at the head of the staircase. "I found her." my guide announced to the room. Ichijou immediately looked in our direction and hurriedly walked over.

"Thank you, Kain!" he told the male beside me, who nodded. Turning a soft gaze to me he said seriously, "Aiko-san, you can't just wander off like that! You have to tell someone."

'_Tell who though? I was trying to find someone in the first place.'_ I thought. Nonetheless, I looked down and nodded. I flinched as a hand landed on my head and patted it reassuringly.

"Don't get so down, kid. Like I said, just don't do it again." Kain smiled at me. Nodding again, I smiled back.

"So, this is Aiko-san?" I heard another male voice ask. Looking passed Ichijou, I saw another blonde male only this one had icy blue eyes. I blinked up at him and smiled softly in greeting. The male grinned, "You're right, Ichijou, she is cute." I cocked my head to the side curiously. _'I'm…cute?'_ This action only caused Ichijou to chuckle and Kain to smile. The mystery boy closed his eyes and…sniffed the air? _'What the hell?'_ "She smells good, too." His grin this time was different, almost predatory. _'That's just weird.'_ I couldn't help by grimace at his choice of words.

"Aidou!" Ichijou scolded.

"Watch it, Hanabusa." Kain chided at the same time.

Aidou pouted and crossed his arms, "What?"

At this point another voice, sophisticated sounding, said, "I'd keep those fangs inside your mouth, Aidou, if you know what's good for you."

Immediately, Aidou turned to his right and glared at the light haired brunette female. "Oh yeah? Just what are you gonna do about it, Ruka?"

"Would you like to see?" she snapped back. The two then went into glaring contest. I felt my eyebrows rise slowly at the two. Talk about intense.

"Don't you two have something better to do?" another female voice asked, emotionless it seemed if not for the slightly exasperated edge to it. Another red head stood on the staircase watching the events detachedly with her sapphire gaze. Beside her was a handsome male. Now don't get me wrong, all the guys in the entrance hall were handsome, just something about this one in particular was exceedingly so. His maroon colored hair accented his silvery blue eyes perfectly and both seemed to make his flawlessly pale skin glow. He wore a bored expression on his face and an almost apathetic expression in his eyes, but I could tell there was emotion behind them. It was merely a matter of knowing what to look for.

I heard a sigh and turned to look back at Aidou and Ruka, only to see them being pushed aside by the one I remembered to be Kaname, the strange kingly male from the chairman's office. His eyes glanced over the two on either side of him, a look of annoyance plastered on his handsome visage. "How bothersome. I tell you to simply find her and here I find the two of you bickering."

"Kaname-sama!" Aidou and Ruka exclaimed, jumping back slightly at the tall male's sudden arrival.

Ignoring them he walked straight up to me and offered me a hand, "You're tired. I'll take you back to your room now." To be honest, I hadn't even noticed I was tired. _'With all the traveling I did today I suppose it's not unheard of to be tired.'_ With a yawn, which I hid behind the back of my left hand, I placed my right hand in his outstretched one and allowed the dorm president to lead me away from the strange assortment of people. Turning my head back, I waved at them as they watched me. Only Ichijou, Kain and the mysterious male on the stairwell waved back.

When Kaname and I had finally arrived back at my room, he led me straight to my bed, picked me up, and set me on top of it. Kneeling before me, he gently slipped my slippers off and placed them as I had found them at the foot of my bed. The way his head was bent and the way his hair fell over his shoulders and face, covering all but his mouth, reminded me of someone. Suddenly the image of a pair of eyes flashed before my eyes. One wine red, the other suede blue. I got a warm, safe feeling in the pit of my stomach, almost nostalgic. I shook the image from my head just as Kaname stood and faced me, a gentle smile on his face. "Aiko-san, you mustn't disappear like that. Not all the Night Class students are as kind as the ones I surround myself with. You must never forget that we're vampires." he told me softly as he placed a tender hand on my cheek. _'That's right. How could I have forgotten?'_ There was both sternness and warmth in his eyes as he looked down at me. I frowned, looking down into my lap. It was times like these that I wish I could find the will to speak, to explain myself. It's hard to explain, but it's as though _he_ stole it from me. My eyes darkened at the thought of that murder. "Don't look so sad. I realize you were probably looking for someone, am I right?" I nodded. Kaname gave a short nod, "Well then, I guess we'll just have to leave someone outside your door for you. Sleep, it's been a long day for you. Tomorrow you'll join the rest of us in class. Goodnight, Aiko-san." Kaname rubbed his thumb across my cheekbone one last time before turning and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him.

'_How strange. I didn't take him for the affectionate type.'_ I thought as I swung my legs back up on the bed, tugged the curtains closed and pulled the covers back over my body. _'He's an odd one. I'll have to keep an eye on him. I have a feeling there's more to his affection than he lets on.'_

I woke hours later to a soft knock on my door. Groggily I sat up, just as the doors opened. Through the lace I could make out the form of a small girl with long wispy hair. "Aiko-san? Are you awake?" her soft voice rang through the room almost like the tinkling of a bell. I gently moved the lace out of the way to show her I was awake and listening. Of course, the first thing I noticed was how strikingly similar she looked to Kaname. She essentially was a female version of him with longer hair, shorter in height and more innocent look in her wine colored eyes. She smiled at me as she crossed the room to my bedside. "I'm Kuran Yuuki. It's nice to finally meet you." she said excitedly. I saw the restraint she put her expression, trying to hold in the apparently thrill she got from meeting me, not that I really understood why. I smiled back and nodded.

Yuuki offered me her hand and helped me out of bed. "Today you'll join us in class, so we have to get you ready." she told me as she pulled me over to the door across from my bed. Opening it, I realized I had been correct. This was indeed the bathroom. It wasn't anything special, just your average porcelain counter tops and toilet. The only difference from any other bathroom I had used was perhaps that the tub and the shower were separated. The tub was in the far left hand corner and the shower was opposite the tub in the right hand corner, jutting out of the wall like a linen closet. Glancing around the bathroom I realized the mirror was missing. Yuuki seemed to notice my confusion. "I took it down when I was setting up your room last night while you slept, I hope you don't mind. I noticed how you turned the other one around." she said with a sheepish smile as she rocked back and forth on her heels. I smiled my thanks to her and nodded my head. Grinning back Yuuki continued, "I already set out a towel for you beside the shower and your uniform is sitting on the counter here. If you need anything let me know, I'll be right outside the bathroom." The brunette girl smiled sweetly as she shut the bathroom door behind her.

A few minutes later, I stood in the shower, warm water cascading down my battered body. There were remnants of bruising around my ribs and down my arms. Large green and yellow splotches spotted my thighs. I knew there were nasty cuts and bruises on my back, I had seen them once before. The image terrified me. It was just a harsh reminder of the whip lashing and the different, sharp blades that tore through my skin time and time again. Cringing, I stuck my head in the warm water and shook my head, trying to rid myself of the horrible images.

'_Why do these things have to be so complicated?' _ I mentally groaned. My shower hadn't been long. I didn't want to keep Yuuki waiting on me, so I had hurried through the rest of my routine and gotten dressed just as quickly. The only thing left was this stupid red tie. I knew it was supposed to go in front of the white uniform. I had seen Yuuki's like that, but for some reason I couldn't get it to look nice enough. Heaving a sigh, I walked out of the bathroom and back into my bedroom where, just as she said, Yuuki was sitting on the couch waiting for me. The girl look over at me and upon noticing my frustrated expression, giggled lightly. "I had the same problem when I first put on the uniform. It takes a little practice to get use to it. I'll tie it for you." I smiled softly in thanks.

Once my attire was taken care of, Yuuki grinned. "Alright! All done! Now let's get your hair taken care of. It's kinda chilly outside, so we should dry it, okay?" I had merely nodded and allowed the girl to lead me back into the bathroom where she insisted on brushing and drying my hair. "It's so lovely." she told me, a sheepish grin on her innocent face, "I can't help but want to play with it." There was a slight pause as Yuuki brushed through the silky locks one more time. "Done! You look so pretty!" she told me, but I kept my eyes on my lap. Yuuki noticed. "You know, you're still beautiful, Aiko-san. What he did to you was wrong and cruel, but you don't have to think less of yourself. I don't see the stitches when you smile or the gash on your cheek or the bruises around your eyes. I don't see the bruises on your arms or your legs. I don't see the scars on your back or the discoloration around your ribs. I simply see a beautiful girl who needs to be reminded of that." she said softly, lifting my chin to look at her. I gave her another confused look. How had she known about the other markings? "I was the one who changed you when you first arrived. I didn't stare if you were wondering." I glanced away for a moment, but Yuuki nudged my chin making me look back towards her. "You don't have to look in the mirror just yet. When you see what I see, what everyone else sees, you won't be ashamed to gaze at yourself every once in a while." After that, she didn't say anything more on the subject. Yuuki led me out of bedroom and down to the main room, just below the balcony where I had my encounter with the strange array of students the night before. I noticed Aidou and Kain standing next to the door, the latter leaning against the doorframe. Sitting on the high backed couch was Ruka. She sat straight up, her eyes glued in a bored fashion to the open book in her hands.

"Ah! Aiko-san! Yuuki-sama!" Ichijou proclaimed, a giant smile on his face. _'I swear that boy never stops smiling. Not that I mind.'_ "Good morning!" he greeted us. Glancing out the window, I moved my confused eyes back to his. Laughing he gently took our hands and led us the rest of the way down the stairs. "Morning for us vampires at least. Did you sleep well?" The last part was directed at me. I nodded and bowed in thanks. Ichijou quickly waved his hands in embarrassment, "No need to bow, Aiko-san! We wanted to make you feel at home here. I'm just glad the transfer is going smoothly thus far." Turning to Yuuki he offered her a bright smile as well, "Thank you for your help, Yuuki-sama."

Yuuki huffed and glared at the blonde. "Ichijou-sempai, you call nii-san Kaname, so why can't you just call me Yuuki? Yuuki-sama just sounds weird coming from you." I chuckled soundlessly at the childish look she gave the older male. There was no doubt in my mind that her pout could even bring down the scary Yagari. It was just too damn cute!

"Hai, Yuuki-sa…uh…Yuuki!" Ichijou corrected himself when the young vampire glared a tiny bit.

Yuuki turned her gaze on me once more, the same smile she'd had all morning still flashing brightly at me. "Aiko-san, there is one thing you have to know about Cross Academy. The Night Class has…uh…a bit of a "following" per say." she said, cringing at a memory. "Well, mostly the boys in the Night Class do. The girls have their own following, but it's greatly over shadowed by the females in the Day Class." I was confused. Following? What were they celebrities or something?

Apparently seeing my confused face, Aidou took advantage of this and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Startled, I turned my head to look at him sharply only to stare at him strangely. Aidou had one hand in his wispy blonde hair and a "sexy" grin on his visage. "Haven't you noticed how absolutely handsome we all are? The girls simply can't resist our dazzling good looks. Don't you agree?" I merely stared at him blankly, completely unsure of how to react to this situation.

"You're making her uncomfortable." A voice suddenly broke the silence that had enveloped the room. Aidou was suddenly pulled off and a gentle hand pulled me to their side. Looking up, I was momentarily "dazzled" as Aidou would say by the male beside me. He was the mystery boy from the night before. Blinking up at him, I noticed his eyes were locked with mine. The same bored expression as the night before, but there was kindness there, too. I wondered for a moment if he was merely too lazy to even change his facial expression. I mean, it's not that I knew him or anything, but I got the distinct feeling of laziness from him. "You shouldn't let people make you uncomfortable." he said. "Especially Aidou. Just push him off." I couldn't help but laugh silently at the bluntness of his statement.

"WHAT?" Aidou cried. He grabbed the mystery boy by his uniform front and glared fiercely at him. "Say that again, I dare ya!"

"Aidou." I saw the blonde visibly cringe and move away from the maroon haired male. Kaname made his way down the stairs slowly, the same air of supremacy exuding from him. Yuuki walked over to greet him as he reached the bottom. The two sharing a loving look as Kaname laid a tender hand on her cheek, which she leaned into. Turning back to everyone else, Kaname wrapped and arm around Yuuki's waist and walked forward. "Shiki and Ichijou will be her guardians from this point on. I suggest you don't step on either of their toes. I have my own assignment for you, however. During our break, I would like you to meet with me so we may discuss it. Is that clear?" Aidou let out a "Yes, Kaname-sama" and bowed deeply.

Ichijou placed his hand on my unoccupied shoulder, making me look up at him. "We'll be heading out in a second, Aiko-san. Just stay between Shiki and I and you'll be fine. The girls are rather rowdy, but they mean no harm." I merely stared up at the blonde before shrugging and looking forward. Kaname and Yuuki walked towards the door a moment later and opened it. Immediately, we were all greeted by an ear splitting noise. _'Are those the girls? Geez, you'd think Johnny Depp or Hugh Jackman had arrived on campus!'_ I thought sullenly as I snapped my hands over my ears. It was frightening really.

Gentle hands curled around my wrists and pulled them down. Looking up, I noticed Shiki was the holder of my wrists. His apathetic eyes stared into mine with his usual unreadable look. "It'll become easier. Just tune them out for now." he told me simply. All I could do was nod at the boy as Ichijou placed his hand on the small of my back and nudged me forward.

"Off we go, Aiko-san!" he chirped. _'I think he secretly likes this…'_ I mused.

The entire Night Class fell in step behind the two head vampires just as the gates, two large stone doors, began to swing open. Yuuki briefly turned around to grin at me, giving me thumbs up to reassure me. I smiled unsurely back at her. As Ichijou, Shiki and I made our way through the gates, the screams and cries only got louder.

"Marry me Ichijou-sempai!"

"I love you Idol!"

"Wild-kun!"

"You're so dreamy Kaname-sempai!"

"Shiki-san, look over here!"

It was like walking down the red carpet or something. Like I was surrounded by celebrities. In a way it made me feel small, like I didn't belong. I suppose I shouldn't have been so caught off guard when the Day Class girls finally realized I was there. I could hear their whispers behind me as I passed them.

"Who's that?"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Did you see her face?"

"Why are Shiki-san and Ichijou-san so close to her?"

"How'd she get in with them? Ruka-sempai and Rima-sempai are so much prettier."

"Yeah, even Seiren-sempai is prettier."

The whispers went on and on, getting worse the more I listened. Shiki-san was right, better to tune them out that to pay any attention. However, for someone as silent as me, it's hard not to hear everything around me even when I'm trying not to listen at all. What was I even doing with these beings? Clearly they were of another level than me. I didn't belong with them. Furthermore, I was more of a burden than anything. I suddenly felt bad for coming to Cross Academy. It seemed that no matter where I went I was always a burden. I was sent to live with my distant uncle, one I didn't even know I had, after I got out of the hospital. I was only there a month or two before he couldn't take my neediness and sent me back to the hospital. Noriko picked me up and took me to another distant family member's house. I was sent right back to her less than a month later. No one wanted a broken, emotionally destroyed mute girl living with them. I was just too damaged.

As if sensing my sudden depression, the mysterious and supposedly emotionless male beside me grabbed my left hand in his gently. Tension I hadn't even realized built up within me was suddenly dispelled at his touch. It was an odd sensation, but one that I welcomed completely. Without looking at me, he said, "I told you not to listen." Then as an afterthought, he added, "They don't know what true beauty is."


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters. I do own Aiko and Noriko.

Chapter Three

'_They don't know what true beauty is.'_

The phrase just kept repeating itself over and over again in my mind. I simply couldn't shake it from my conscious. There had been something in the way he said it, like he was truthfully talking to himself more than me. At least that was the feeling I got from him. Shiki didn't relinquish my hand either. We walked all the way to class hand in hand, which for me was very strange seeing as the only person I had ever walk anywhere hand in hand with was my mother before she was died. Ichijou opened the door for Shiki and I, while the former led me to the back of the class next to the large windows. Only when I sat down and was settled did he let go of my hand. _'He's nearly as strange as Kaname. I didn't peg Kaname for affection nor did I peg Shiki for it either. It, too me, would see like a bother.'_ But to be honest, I didn't mind. For some reason or another, him holding my hand the way he had been felt like normal. It wasn't awkward despite being out of the ordinary for the vampire noble. It just felt _right_ like it was suppose to be that way. Like we were supposed to walk that way. I didn't understand it at all.

Class had a rather unique set up to it. Our "teacher" wasn't really teaching us anything. He more of stood or sat at the front of the class and kept a watchful eye on us. Other than that, we were allowed to do as we so pleased so long as it was done quietly. Ichijou asked me various questions concerning my knowledge of vampires and their society. "Do you know the hierarchy?" he had asked. I nodded. "So then you understand Level E's, right?" Again I nodded. Noriko had made sure that I was aware of vampires, though I couldn't understand why. When I tried to ask, she would always just change the subject. I got the feeling she knew more about me than I knew about myself.

Truth was, when I was five I was found asleep off the side of a deserted highway. Literally in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, there was an estate a couple of miles back, but Noriko would never tell me what the name of the estate was. She would always say "well, no one's lived there in many, many years. It's irrelevant." I knew better. That residence was the key to my memories, I just had the distinct gut feeling. '_If I could only _just_ remember._' I had no recollection of how I got there, where I had been before that, or even my own name. The only thing I had with me was a large green bat looking plushie. An officer found me while doing his route. I was taken to the station and picked up by a social worker who set up the paper work for me to be placed in the town's orphanage. I only stayed in the orphanage two months before I was adopted by my mother. She was an only parent, but she always use to tell me that she wanted it that way.

"Well, do you know anything about Cross Academy's goal?" Ichijou asked me. I shook my head. Sadly, I had fallen asleep outside on the bench outside the Chairman's office. Any discussion about the school at that point became moot. Ichijou seemed to realize this as well and chuckled, giving me a sheepish grin. "Well, I guess you wouldn't. You were really tired after all." He went on to tell me all about the Chairman's wish for peace between the races and how when Kaname joined, so did the vast majority of the vampires in the room.

I had questions of my own at this point, but didn't quite know how to relay them. I furrowed my brows and looked around me. The desk was empty and it didn't appear that there was anything I could really use. "What do you need?" I looked up at Shiki, who had a stick of pocky hanging from his lips. I made a talking motion and then a writing motion. Shiki blinked at me once before replying, "Ah." Turing to his left where his bag sat, he pulled out a pen and notebook. He silently slid them across the smooth oak surface to me. I stared at them for a moment before grinning as widely as I could without pulling the stitches on my lip and clapped my hands excitedly. Ichijou laughed at my antics while Shiki presented me with a very small smile, his eyes watching me with amusement. Grabbing the pen and flipping the notebook open to an empty page I quickly scribbled down: **I heard there was a time when the Moon Dorms were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Even then it took two years for any of you to return. What happened?**

Instantly, Ichijou lost his smile and Shiki stiffened considerably beside me. Neither one answered, they just looked uncomfortable. "Well, that's…" Ichijou trailed off.

I jumped when Kaname's voice cut through the tension. I looked down a couple rows to where he sat with Yuuki curled up in his lap reading. "Perhaps I can answer your questions, Aiko-san." I glanced between him and Ichijou for a moment before picking up the notebook to face him. His keen eyes ghosted over the words before answering softly, "We had an unfortunate attack by the council and…another pureblood. Before we could return to the school, I, as the reigning Pureblood King, had to straighten out a mess that was created by the aforementioned body along with some other annoyances."

**I heard that a lot of purebloods died in those two years and that there was talk of a war between hunters and vampires.**

Kaname nodded. "That's very true. We did lose quite a few of our kind. The result is that those who remain clearly understand who they will answer to for their stupidity. In the future, it is my hope that life will return to simplicity as it once was." I stared at Kaname for a moment, holding his gaze captive as I read into his hematite eyes. There were several different emotions swirling around: hatred, pride, sadness, loss, and finality. I understood merely from his gaze and his vague words that he had done many terrible things. I understood that his hands were bloodstained beyond compare, but I also understood that the beautiful young lady that sat so comfortably in his lap was the reason for everything he did. _'He had someone to protect.'_

Protect…

…protect…always…

…I'll always protect you…

Images flashed in my mind, taking over my reality. An older man's voice spoke to me. Husky and rough, but tender. Eyes. One red. One blue—warm and thoughtful. A little girl, her image blurred, hugging an older man, blurred as well. Warm arms. Large callous hands, gentle hands. A scream—a child. A yell—a man. More screams. Kiyoku. The smell of rotting corpses fills my nostrils. Hands—large, calloused, cruel. There was suddenly no air in my lungs. Tears streamed from my eyes; unwanted, but not stopping. Again the multi-colored eyes—angry and malicious. A man's voice—Aiko…Aiko…

"AIKO!" I jumped, suddenly aware of the multiple set of eyes on me. The entire room was silent and watching my every move. Kaname and Yuuki were on their feet. Kain and Aidou turned in their seat in front of me, concern and confusion evident in their faces. Rima, Ruka and the other students watched baffled and apprehensive. Ichijou stood beside me, my paper and pen in his pale hands. His pale green eyes wide in horror. _'Where's Shiki?'_ "Stay still." I started again. His voice had reverberated through my back. I realized abruptly that my back was pressed against his chest and that he had both of my wrists clutched with bruising tightness. He held my arms across my chest, my fists at my shoulders, almost like he was embracing me. I was confused. _'What just happened? What were those images? Why is Shiki clutching me so tightly? What's going on?'_

"I think Aiko-san has had enough class time for today." Kaname spoke suddenly, his eyes never leaving my face. This time his eyes didn't mask the emotions. It was as though he wasn't even trying. Confusion, sadness, and sudden…understanding? "Shiki, take her back to her room and stay with her until I say otherwise. I'll send Ichijou to fill you in when I am done talking to him." I felt Shiki nod slowly and shift. He slowly dropped my arms and swooped me off my feet into his arms. "Be sure to clean her up. We don't need any accidents." I glanced at Kaname for a moment thoroughly confused. His eyes held mine before slipping down to my arms. I followed his gaze. My white uniform was suddenly dyed red. Long claw marks could be seen through the shredded fabric. Mortified, my eyes shot to my hands where blotches of blood stained my pale skin and flesh could be seen just under the fingernails. Horrified, I slammed my hands into my lap, furiously wiping my hands on the soft fabric trying in vain to clean both the blood and the flesh from my hands.

"Aiko-san!" Ichijou cried, dropping the paper and pen on the table and grabbing my hands to stop my motions. "Please, stop! Please, don't hurt yourself any further. I don't know what you remembered or what you saw, but everything is going to be okay. We're going to protect you, even if it's from yourself." The blonde gently let go of my hands and lifted his own to my face. One of his long fingers brushed the tears from my face. However, when he brought his hand back down, I saw red mixed in with the clear liquid. He had my blood all over his pale hands.

"Shiki." Kaname stated, not having to say anything more. Shiki immediately walked passed Ichijou, down the steps and out the door. I kept my gaze on my lap, not wanting to see the faces of my classmates. I didn't want to see their pity or disgusted faces. I could only imagine what they thought of me.

Shiki and I made it back to the dorms without incident. The apparent "prefects" didn't seem to be anywhere nearby. Either that or they just didn't care that two Night Class students decided to skip class. _'I wonder if Kaname's order counts as a viable excuse?'_ Frankly, I didn't know why I even cared. Perhaps it was because I was utterly distraught and was trying desperately to distract myself. When Shiki and I finally made it into my room, I had calmed down a little. Though, that didn't stop me from shaking like a leaf in a maelstrom. Shiki set me down gently on my couch in a sitting position. "Don't move." he said in monotone. I obeyed without hesitation. Maybe it was because it was Shiki or maybe because I wasn't completely there yet. My mind was drifting back and forth between reality and the images that plagued my thoughts.

I vaguely remember hearing water running behind me before Shiki suddenly appeared in front of me once again, this time with a basin of warm water and a couple of white wash cloths. Wordlessly, the blank eyed boy set them on the table that he was kneeling in front of. Turning to me he reached up and untied my red bow, pulling it free before starting to unbutton my blazer. Once the trashed fabric was removed he threw it to the side somewhere. His eyes scanned over my black blouse. He and I both knew that it had to come off. He raised his eyes to mine. There was a question in them, but I didn't know what. I assumed he was asking me to unbutton my shirt, so I raised my trembling hands to the tiny white buttons. Shiki sighed as he watched me futilely try to undo the wretched things. He brought up his own, much steadier hands and quickly removed my black shirt, discarding like he had by blazer. He then turned and dipped one of the white cloths in the warm water, rung it out, and proceeded to clean the still bleeding wounds. It honestly looked as though I had gotten in a fight with an animal of some sort. _'I suppose that makes me an animal then.'_ I thought ruefully.

Shiki moved gently up and down both arms, pressing here and then there, until the bleeding had stopped. He moved to my face next, taking my chin in between his thumb and pointer. It only took the male a minute or two to clean my face to his satisfaction. When he had finished he picked up the bloodied rags and the basin and disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back out, he scooped me up once more and laid me down on my bed. I hadn't noticed before that the covers were already pulled back. Shiki undid my shoes and pulled my socks off before tucking my feet under the covers along with the rest of my body. We sat there a while. Him on the edge of my bed and me staring up at him in my solemn confusion.

After a while of him staring off at the wall above my head, lost in his own thoughts, I reached out my still shaking hand and tugged on his sleeve. He turned his silvery blue eyes on me, eyeing me carefully. I let confusion flitter across my eyes and then utter sadness. He sighed once again, laying a hand on my head and smoothing out my hair. "We're all wondering what happened." he stated. "You saw something, didn't you?" I nodded slowly. "It terrified you." It wasn't a question. He knew for obvious reasons that whatever it was I saw scared me enough to through me into a tantrum. His gaze shifted down to my arms, drifting over the bright red marks that marred my skin. His gazed stopped on my wrists where dark bruising started to appear from where he had held tightly trying to restrain me. He ran his fingertips over the sensitive skin. He seems remorseful for causing physical harm to my already harmed body. I wasn't angry with him. I knew he was only protecting me. _'He knows this as well as I do, so why such a melancholy expression?'_

Shiki gently picked up one of my arms, his eyes glued to the bruises he accidentally inflicted. "Do they hurt?" he asked softly, running his fingers over it again. I flinched but shook my head no. He glanced at me momentarily before closing his eyes and chuckling. "I hurt you and yet you try to protect my feelings. You should care more about yourself, Ai-chan." he murmured softly, as he lightly brushed his lips over the discolored skin of my wrist. I blushed madly at the motion causing him to chuckle again. Laying my arm back down, he rose to his feet and started to pull the lace curtains closed. "Sleep."

As he turned away from the bed, my hand shot forward, catching his wrist. Stunned he swiveled around to look at me. His expressionless eyes were just barely wider than usual indicating his surprise. All the fear I had been trying to distract myself from boiled up to the surface and over the edge as he turned away from me. He was the only thing keeping me together. His expression turned emotionless once again as he stared me down, taking in my rapid heartbeat, the teary eyed fear looking him straight in the face. "I understand." That was all he said as he pulled open the curtains again and sat beside me once more.

Thank you sooo very much for everyone who has reviewed my creation! I love the feedback and it feels so good to know people actually appreciate my work! You guys rock! =^^=


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Vampire knight or its characters. I do own Noriko and Aiko.

Chapter Four

_The cobblestone beneath my feet was rough and uneven. While I liked the old time look it gave the street, it was such an inconvenience when I'm trying to get home without falling over from exhaustion. School was enough to grate my patience and working part-time at a diner was enough to make me want to beat my head up against a wall. My mother told me not to overdo it, but given the circumstances I needed the money. Now that she was gone, it was only me taking care of the bills and obviously buy the food. I couldn't afford much after the necessities were taken care of, but I could at least say that I had something in my stomach every night. I heaved a sigh as I stumbled for the millionth time that night. Why did my apartment have to be so far away?_

_I jumped at the clattering sound behind me. Jerking my head around to see what it was I was greeted with a metal trash bin rolling ominously across the street. I didn't want to admit that I was scared, but there had been enough bad news circulating around town that the strange occurrence had me suddenly forgetting just how exhausted I was. Picking up the pace two fold I started for home with a renewed vigor. Too many girls had been going missing lately. Noriko-san had been adamant about me not working until the kidnapper had been caught, but bills were bill and they had to get paid. Of course, the woman had told me to live with her. I just was too stubborn to listen. I wanted to stand on my own two feet. I was doing just fine, anyway. There was no need to force me into another city I didn't know anything about._

Tap, Tap, Tap

_I hesitated briefly in my hurried pace as my ears picked up the extra footsteps behind me. I knew I was on edge and probably over thinking things, but I couldn't help it. My heart thrummed loudly in my ears as I turned to look behind me. My eyes widened as I saw the metal bat seconds before it hit me in the face._

_Bam!_

My eyes sprang open as I realized I was on the floor of my room. I was still at Cross Academy. I wasn't just getting attacked. Pushing myself into a sitting a position I drew my hand over my face. It was slick with sweat. _'Alright, heart, chill out. It's okay. It was only a memory.' _I took notice to the emptiness of my room. Shiki had left. I didn't expect him to stay with me the entire time. The poor guy needed his own sleep I was sure. However, as I pulled myself up onto the bed again, I paused when my hand landed on the spot where he had been sitting. I was oddly relieved when I felt how warm the smooth fabric was beneath my fingers. _'He stayed with me this whole time.'_ I mused. I let my lips form a small smile of relieved joy at the thought. _'I've got to thank him for patching me up, too.'_ I mused as my eyes skimmed over the freshly wrapped wounds. I guessed he had wrapped the white medical cloth around my arms while I was sleeping.

Low whispers could be heard just outside my door. Curious, I slipped away from the bed, ignoring my slippers, and quietly sauntered over to the door. "How is she?" I recognized the voice to be Ichijou's.

"She's sleeping. She passed out a few hours ago." Shiki replied, his voice quiet and his tone tired. "She's restless."

"That's not surprising given what she's been through. I imagine she doesn't have dreams so much as she relives her moments behind held captive." Ichijou replied. It was almost strange to hear the usually hyper and happy Vice President talk so solemnly. The seriousness in his voice was disconcerting. I liked the happy Ichijou better than the one I was listening to.

There was a pause before Shiki's voice carried through the door, "Do they stop?"

"The nightmares?"

"Yes."

I heard the blond sigh. I could imagine him closing his green eyes and crossing those long arms over his chest, one finger tapping his bicep. "In time they will. What she needs are new memories. Memories that will out shine the old ones. Right now those memories are what stick out most in her mind." I didn't hear any response from Shiki. A second later I heard Ichijou sigh, "Why don't you go to bed, Shiki? I'll take this watch."

"No. I'm fine." came the stubborn reply.

"You're falling asleep standing. You need sleep." Ichijou stated deadpanned, though I could tell by his voice that his smile was back.

Shiki gave a sigh, "I'll sleep on the couch, if you must insist that I get sleep."

"Senri! You need to get proper sleep. That means in your own bed." Ichijou chastised the red head.

'_Stubborn just like a child.'_ I thought with a silent giggle. I grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Both males turned to look at me. Ichijou was now wearing faded blue jeans, a green sweater that matched his eyes and, what I guessed, was a white shirt. The collar was folded neatly over the top of the green sweater. Shiki was still wearing his uniform. I began to wonder just how long I had been out.

"Aiko-san?" Ichijou inquired. I smiled at the blonde briefly, turning my gaze to the exhausted looking boy at my side. Shiki watched me carefully as though trying to predict what I was going to do.

"Ai-chan, you should be in bed." he stated. I gave him a look and pointed down the hall towards his and Ichijou's bedroom. His expression changed to one of frustration. Closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair he sighed, "Not you, too." I merely nodded before grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hallway five doors down. I opened the door to the dorm and pushed him in gently. Letting go of his hand, I looked up into the crystalline orbs that stared down at mine in amusement. "Ai-chan, I can't protect you from my room." I nodded, but pointed to his bedroom door anyway. With a sigh he nodded and turned around. I smiled softly at him. I didn't understand why he'd listen to me instead of Ichijou.

'_I wanted to thank him! Here's my chance.'_ I remembered suddenly, just as he reached the door to his room. Impulsively, I shot forward and wrapped my thin arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. He seemed to freeze up. Letting go just as suddenly as I embraced him, I jogged over to the door, waved once to the shocked noble and left him to go to bed.

Ichijou was out in the hallway waiting for me. As usual he was smiling kindly at me. I smiled back and bounced up to him. He chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me back to my room. "You seem to be in a much better mood, Aiko-san." I nodded vigorously. The honey blonde laughed and gently nudged me into my room, "Go ahead and change out of your uniform. When you're done we have to go see Kaname, alright? He's worried about you." I gave another quick nod as he shut the door behind me. Quickly I stripped out of my skirt and tank top, wandering over to my closet door for the first time.

Much to my delight, all of my clothes were in the surprisingly large walk-in closet. Snatching down a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a loose black and white horizontally stripped sweater, I changed quickly. I glanced down at the bottom of the closet looking for some shoes to wear and swiped my slip on black vans. I decided to leave my wavy, unkempt and utterly uncontrollable wine colored hair down. There was no point in trying to tame the locks when they just wisp out this way and that.

I threw open the door to find Ichijou leaning against the wall on the other side. He grinned more when he saw my outfit. The sweater came down to just above my knees and barely clung to my left shoulder while hanging off my right. "You look adorable." he chirped as he sprung away from the wall and practically skipped over to me. I blushed and looked down. I didn't really know, so I wasn't going to say yes or no. "Come on, we need to see Kaname." Ichijou took my hand softly in his and pulled me down the hallway. Just as we passed his and Shiki's dorm door I tugged on Ichijou's hand and pointed at the white oak. Ichijou followed my indication, "I'll inform him later. He's probably already asleep as it is." I nodded and allowed the blonde to pull me the rest of the way to Kaname's room.

Inside we found Yuuki and Kaname on the couch. Yuuki was curled up into his side, her head in the crook of his neck, while Kaname had his arms wrapped around her with a book in his hands. I guessed they were reading together. _'That's adorable.'_ I thought. Upon our entry, both brunettes looked up at us, Kaname placing the book down on the side table. Yuuki jumped up and rushed over to me.

"Aiko-san!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my shoulders, "I was so worried." I smiled softly and hugged her back, patting her back softly to reassure her that I was fine. She let go and took my hands in her dainty ones, pulling me along with her back over to the couch. She gestured over to the loveseat across from the main couch, which she promptly curled back up on and snuggled into her Kaname's side once again.

Ichijou joined me on the loveseat, smiling his jovial smile as usual, directing his attention to Kaname. Offering me a warm smile, the dorm president asked, "Are you feeling better, Aiko-san?" I nodded. He copied my motion, studying me silently. "That's good. You gave us all a scare today. Do you know what happened?" I thought for a moment and looked down in my lap where I fiddled with my fingers. _'What did happen? What were all those images? Those eyes. They seem so familiar and yet I can't seem to remember where I know them from.'_ I shrugged and shook my head no. It was the only answer I could give. I didn't know what happened. I don't understand why it happened either. Kaname's eyes narrowed slightly, but it wasn't a mean look. It was a thoughtful look. "Strange. The piece of paper you were communicating with us on, do you remember it?" I nodded, confused. "When you went into your daze, you started to scribble down uncontrollably. This is what you wrote until Ichijou took the paper from you." Kaname reached over to the side table, slipped Shiki's notebook out from underneath the book he was reading. Placing it in front of me, he flipped it open to a page almost completely covered in varying sizes of black scribbles. "Most of it is illegible." Kaname pointed out. He was right, too. Most of the words were written over each other time and time again. "Except for this phrase here."

'_Beware the secret. He who seeks the hidden may shatter under the revelation.'_

I furrowed my brows and look up at Kaname confused as if to ask _'What is this?'_ Kaname chuckled and picked up the notebook. "I was hoping you could tell me, but apparently you are as lost as I am. Tell me, Aiko-san, do you recognize the name Rido?" I nodded. Kaname's eyes narrowed considerably, as if suspicious. Waving my hands quickly in front of me I pointed at the notebook. Ichijou seemed to understand as he produced a pencil and gentle retrieved the notepad from Kaname. I opened it to a new page and quickly scrawled: **I only know this from when we were in the chairman's office. I was half awake and only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but I do remember a "Rido" being mentioned. I don't know anything about him other than he was a very powerful pureblood vampire. Noriko-san refused to talk about him or the late Asato and other council members. She said it better to let sleeping dogs lie.** Kaname seemed to consider this before smiling at me. "I see. Well that will be all for now, Aiko-san. The sun will be up soon. I will see you tomorrow." Just as I stepped away from the table, Kaname called out to me again, "Oh, Aiko-san," I turned towards the tall vampire to see him tear out the scribbled over page from the notebook. Closing it, he held the notebook out to me, "You can take this with you. I'd like to hold on to this page, if you don't mind." I shook my head and took the offered pad of paper before scurrying over to Ichijou's side.

Ichijou and I said our goodbyes at the door and left the two purebloods to themselves. Ichijou and I walked in silence as we usually did. However, this silence was not lighthearted and buoyant. It was uncomfortable and made me shiver. Grabbing Ichijou's sleeve I pulled the blond to a stop. "Aiko-san," he asked, "Are you okay?" I didn't answer with a gesture, but rather opened the notebook again to scribble quickly inside with the pencil I was clutching.

**Is Kaname-sama mad at me?**

Ichijou seemed caught off guard for a moment as he blinked owlishly at the text. "No, Aiko-san, Kaname isn't mad at you. He's just worried about Rido." he told me softly, stroking my hair gently. "He may come off as a bit callous, but he's the King of the Purebloods. He's always been a bit aloof. Yuuki is the only one who seems to see a different side of him. He means well, I promise, so don't think too much on it. Okay?" I nodded slowly. "Good, let's get you back in bed. I'll stay with you until Shiki gets up.

As much as I wanted to believe Ichijou's words, I was finding it rather hard. _'The way he smiled at me was strange.'_ I mused sullenly. _'It was strained and there was a strange accusation in his eyes. Like he was staring down a spy of a great enemy. What in the world is going on? Who is Rido? What does he have to do with me? Why won't anyone tell me anything?'_ They were all answers I wanted and yet I just couldn't seem to grasp.

That Saturday Yuuki came to my room early dressed in the most adorable off-white baby doll dress and tan flats. Her long hair billowing around her body elegantly only added to her charm. "I thought we'd go to town today and get a few more things for your room." she told me with her carefree smile. The way her eyes danced as she bounced hopefully from one foot to the other was too cute. I reached over the table I was sitting at and pulled Shiki's notepad to me.

**I don't have any money, though.**

Yuuki smiled and shook her head, "No worries! Tanayama-san left some with Nii-san before she left. She wanted you to feel at home. She said it was her 'house warming' gift to you." She made sure to emphasize the air quotes around house warming. "In anycase, you need stuff in here that makes it your room. Even if you don't get a lot of stuff, it's so nice outside!" she continued to chirp as she bounded over to the window. "The fresh air will be good for the both of us."

**Won't the place be closed?**

The brunette shook her head, "Nope! We have special permission to go to town. The shop keeper knows the Chairman and agreed to open up the shop for an hour." I smiled softly at the girl and nodded my consent. Yuuki cheered and rushed off to the closet. Throwing the door open she pulled out a pair of white flats. "These will look so cute with your outfit!"

As we got ready to leave, I couldn't help but feel relieved to have Yuuki with me. The rest of the week had been a bit awkward for me. I couldn't bring myself to look at my classmates in the eyes after my outburst. Not that it mattered really. The other students left me alone for the most part. Ichijou and Yuuki tried to reassure me that everything was just fine, but I still felt like a fool. I knew that I couldn't have helped the fact that I had an episode. Noriko-san told me time and time again that there were going to be things that trigger bad memories for me. When those moments come, I go with the flow. Let the reaction happen as it will. "There's no point in trying to hold it all in. You'll only hurt yourself more by doing that." she had told me.

Yuuki made me feel like I was normal. As though there was nothing wrong with me. Like I hadn't gone through some traumatic occurrence and I wasn't disfigured. She never gave me odd looks for being skittish or jumpy. She never stared at my injuries or really even acknowledged them. I was normal when with Yuuki and that was more than I had been given in a long time.

Fifteen minutes later Yuuki, Ichijou and myself were walking casually through the town at the base of our school. It was a ways down, but the vampires had decided to run to get there faster. Yuuki was still giggling about my surprised look when Ichijou had scooped me up and bolted off without much warning when we arrived at the store. The outside didn't look like much, however, when we entered through the doors, I was blown away by the variety. Everything from knick knacks to dresser drawers covered every square inch of space. Not to mention the entire back wall of the store, from floor to ceiling, was dedicated to books. Ichijou laughed as I made a bee line for the literature.

"I didn't realize you like to read so much, Aiko-san." he chirped, "I thought you were merely bored and trying to pass the time. I shook my head at the boy and dragged him over to the section for fiction. It took me all of two seconds to locate the book series I was looking for. Tugging on the tall male's sleeve, I pointed up towards the fifth self at the tricolored series. "The Lord of the Rings? You like those?" I shook my head, making him frown, before making a small heart with my hands. The blond laughed. Taking the books from the shelf, he placed them in the basket I didn't realize he'd grabbed. "Well, I'll just have to join you in reading them sometime. Any others?"

That was how it went the rest of our time in the shop. I ended up adding Sherlock Holmes, Catch 22, To Kill a Mocking Bird and Of Mice and Men to my mini library collection. We found an identical set of black iron lamps with white lace shades for my coffee table and desk, a pencil holder in the shape of a golden willow tree, and four small round dark red and black lace pillows for the couch before Yuuki came bouncing up to us with another basket. "Look what I found! Little thing for you to put around your room!"

Inside her basket were small figurines of different types. Two were fairies, one green and the other yellow. The green one was sitting on a tree stump playing a flute, her long mint color hair flowing around her mystically. The yellow one seemed to be mid-spin and dancing in a patch of white lilies. There was one dragon, large blue in color with bright red eyes. It wasn't menacing looking at all. Instead it looked serene as it clutched a large crystal ball in its claw, midnight blue wings extended behind it. The last figurine was of a bat. It was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen! The bat was mostly dark grey, but the inside of the wings and the ears were pink, the upside down heart shaped nose was bright blue and the tiny feet were light grey. There were two patches on it. One just below the right ear that was sticking out to the side and the other just above the left foot. The eye brows were pushed up in an almost worried look.

"A bat, Yuuki?" Ichijiou laughed.

Yuuki blushed and nodded, "Yep! I thought it was kind of funny seeing as you hang out with a bunch of vampires all day." I chuckled silently as I stroked the little figurine's head. "Look, Aiko-san, it has patches just like you." I blinked and looked up at the vampire. She smiled softly, knowingly back at me. "And it's still absolutely adorable!" It was a good thing Ichijou was there to grab Yuuki's basket. I think it might have fallen to the ground with how hard I tackled Yuuki. The girl merely giggled as I hugged her tightly, little tears of joy peeking out from the corners of my eyes.


	5. Note

Dear Readers,

I'm terribly sorry for my absence. To be honest, I lost inspiration for this story and then everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Life happens, I guess. I could tell you every little detail of my life in the past year or so, but it really boils down to the fact that life once again threw me for a loop. In addition to my roller coaster ride, I had surgery on my right wrist. Although I'm able to type again at a decent rate, I'm still in the healing process. Good news is that I will be posting to this story again soon. I will also be doing revisions of it. I've re-read it and discovered some inconsistencies. If anyone is still interested in reading the story, I will be reposting the updated chapters in the next couple days or so.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in my absence and sent me messages of encouragement. I really appreciate it. I lost my will to write during everything that I've been through recently, but reading those reviews and seeing the excitement makes me eager to get back into it. So thanks a bunch for the support. Truly, it means a lot to me.

AnEarlyEnding


	6. Update Note

Hey!

As you noticed I have deleted the other chapters. Don't worry they will go back up and when they have been updated to my liking and I have caught up to the point I was last at, I will take this note and the other note down. So things are going to be a little weird when reading the chapter names. It will be fixed. I re-read the entire thing and realized I didn't like the way I had it. I missed out on telling you important things and the writing was simply terrible. Please just trust me! Everything is for a reason, I swear!

Thanks so much!

Early


	7. Chapter 5

So I wanted to say thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers out there. It's so amazing to see my inbox filled with new favorites and reviews. Makes me feel loved. =]

Lady Syndra: I know I said it would be up in two days or so…IM VERY SORRY! I totally got caught up with the Christmas Party I was hosting this week. So I'm making the next chapter just for you! I plan to have that one up by next Friday. So keep an eye out!

Cassandra: I have a picture of Aiko, but I can't post it until I finish the story. When I write the sequel I will post the picture. I personally think she's a bit more like Yuuki after her transformation kinda pretty. I hope makes sense. Her age is about eighteen give or take. It's harder to plan that our seeing as the character themselves are all given exact ages like Shiki is supposedly 17 but he's also a vampire, so that doesn't count really, plus you have the two year skip. So she's tentatively eighteen or so. Her height 5"6, so she's the same as Ruka. Also, along the lines of beauty, people often only see beauty on the surface. For the vampires, I would imagine they'd be more adapt to seeing beyond her scars and imagining what she would have looked like without them. As human, they tend to be more fickle and surface only types. They can't see past her scars. She has imperfections that they don't, so for them it's like having a leg up on someone. I hope that answers your questions! If you have more feel free to ask.

I do not own Vampire Knight. I do own my OCs.

Dear Noriko-san,

I know it's been a month now since I've seen you, but I've only just gotten used to the sleep patterns of the vampires. It's such a strange schedule. Speaking of sleeping, Yuuki-sama and Ichjiou took me shopping a couple weeks ago for knick-knacks for my room. Thank you for the money you left for me! I've included some pictures of it for you. I didn't realize that the taking me shopping ordeal was just so Kaname-sama, Shiki-san, Aidou-san and Kain-san could invade my room and change the color scheme. No more purple. It's a dark green with some mint colored accents. I was so excited! I didn't even know they knew what my favorite color was. I was surprised that Kaname-sama had also agreed to help, but he said that he wanted to make me feel at home.

The screaming of the Day Class girls never seems to get any less annoying, but I suppose that it is becoming easier to ignore day by day. Ichijou-san and Shiki-san are still my bodyguards. I wonder why Kaname-sama hasn't switched them for someone else? Do you think they'll grow sick of being around me so much? I hope not. I really like the both of them. I feel like I've known them forever. Is that normal?

Anyway, did you know that Ichijou-san is a manga lover? He has an entire library in his room dedicated to it. Row after row of titles I haven't even heard of before. He often has me hang out in his room where he'll make me read them all. He said it's not healthy for a girl my age to be so out of touch with pop culture. I find it funny that almost all the series' he has are about vampires. He claims it's because he enjoys a good laugh. I still think he's weird. In a good way, of course. I especially like it when he sits down with me and tells me all his theories on characters and plot lines. It always makes me laugh.

Oh! I don't remember if I told you, but Ichijou-san and Shiki-san got me a dry-erase board! I'm a little embarrassed now about it, but I tackle-hugged them out of excitement. I was just so overjoyed! I felt even worse when Aidou-san and Kain-san entered the hallway. I was surprised when Aidou-san just blinked owlishly at us. Kain-san is always quiet, but Aidou-san not taking the opportunity to make a jab or a comment really was surprising.

Anyway, I hope everything is going alright on your end. I know you told me in the last letter that the trail was postponed. I don't understand why, though. Couldn't they just find him guilty and put him away? Why do they need to postpone it? I suppose it might not matter anymore, when this letter finally reaches you. I'm just confused right now. That's all. Don't worry about me, Noriko-san. Everything is fine on my end.

Talk to you soon!

Aiko

I smiled at the letter in my hand as I read it over for the fifth time. Norkio-san and I had been keeping in touch by mail since she left. She said she'd rather talk over the phone, but until my voice resurfaced that wasn't going to happen. _Well, now I just need to get it in the mail._ I gave a small smile and patted the letter affectionately. Yawning suddenly, I stretched my arms wide a moment and then let them drop limply at my side. It was late, I knew that much. Glancing at the trash can beside my desk I couldn't help but grimaced at the sight of the mashed alarm clock. That had been a fiasco and a half. No one knew where the thing had come from. Well, either that or they weren't willing to speak up.

_*BOMP! BOMP BOMP BOMP*_

_That noise. That terrible noise. The harbinger of our demise. My eyes snapped open. The alarm was echoing off the brick walls around me through the sound system connected in the dungeon like cage we were kept in. I knew where the speakers where, but with the volume it felt like the painful sound was wailing in my skull. With an anguished cry I tried to put my hands over my ears even though I knew my motions would be cut off by the chains that held them a loft. The chains were cutting into my already raw flesh, but I pulled harder, hoping that just maybe I could lessen the pain my sensitive ears were going through. The tears that collected in the corners of my eyes threatened to pour down. As much pain as I was in, I didn't want the sound to end. I wanted the stupid alarm to ring forever. I was terrified that this time, would be my time. This time I would be chosen. I would be the victim of the Drill. _

"_The Drill is the worst."Kiyoku's voice whispered in my ear. _

_Chills rolled over my spine and spread like wild fire._

"_What the Drill." I heard myself ask. _

_Sweat trickled slowly down my chest._

"_The alarm sounds." she rasped, her voice shaking._

_I could feel his calloused hands on my arms._

"_Is that bad?"_

_Pulling, shaking, gripping too tight._

"_Only when the alarm stops."_

_This was it._

"_What happens then?"_

_I was going to die. _

"_AIKO!" I snapped my eyes open and realized that I wasn't trapped in that hell hole. I was in my room on the floor. The chains that held my arms where the bed sheets that somehow got tangled around my wrists when I tumbled out of bed. The calloused hands belonged to Kain, who knelt behind me, restraining me from hurting myself. It wasn't until I calmed down enough to grasp the situation that I realized the bed sheets were not only wrapped around my wrist but had somehow managed to find their way around my neck. Kain was the only reason I wasn't strangling myself. _

"_Aiko-san?" I turned my head to the left, blue eyes meeting green, as I realized Ichijou standing at my desk. In his hands was the source of my night terror. The alarm clock. He had pulled the thing out of the wall so harshly that the cord snapped off the actual box itself. Maybe a foot from him was Ruka, her eyes wide and a delicate hand over her lips. Yuuki and Kaname were already making their way over to me quickly as Aidou worked to pull the sheets off the bed, giving it more slack. The only people missing were Rima-san and Skiki. Kaname knelt beside Kain, his eyes boring into mine. I could only guess what kind of haunted expression I was wearing at that moment. _

"_Aiko," he said gently reaching for my wrist and dislodging the cloth from my sore appendage. "Aiko, are you alright?" I tried to nod, but half way through started shaking my head. The tears boiled up and spilt over the edge. All at once, I was balling into my knees, unable to hold myself together. The Drills had truly been one of the worst experiences in that place._

Either way there was nothing to be done. It took them two hours to get me to bed. During that time they asked me where the alarm clock had come from, but I couldn't tell them where. I had never even seen it before. Kaname sent Aidou and Kain to interrogate the student body to find answers, but no one said anything. Aidou was the one who said he believed someone knew and wasn't giving up the answers. I couldn't help but side with him. Shiki and Rima apparently showed up after I had fallen asleep. Shiki was hardly pleased to hear about the incident and when I woke I found him sitting on the edge of my bed beside me softly stroking my hair. My nightmares became more frequent after that. Usually when the dreams were bad enough, I would make my way over to door where either Shiki or Ichijou would be against the wall with their school books or (in Ichijou's case) a new manga.

I sighed. I hated how helpless I felt. I just wanted a good nights rest. The only place I seemed to be able to do that was with either Shiki or Ichijou. Grabbing my letter and my board, I scurried over to the door and pulled it open. To my surprise, neither Shiki nor Ichijou were standing outside my room. Instead I was greeted by an empty hallway. _'Where is Shiki? Isn't noon until four suppose to be his shift?'_ I asked myself. I had memorized the two boys' guard shifts, by that time. They would switch every few hours to allow the other to get some sleep or other work done. I shrugged and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind me. I figure I'd go to them instead. First place to check was their rooms.

I opened the door softly and closed it just as quietly. I knew Ichijou was sleeping based on the closed door to his room, so I didn't want to disturb him. I walked over to Shiki's door and knocked lightly. It was great that vampires had acute hearing because if I was waiting on another human to answer my knock, I would have been there for ages. The door handle turned and the door opened to reveal a half naked Shiki. I jumped in surprise, all the blood rushing to my face. I could only imagine that my face resembled a tomato. His messy hair was wet and dripping from a shower he just had. A single white towel hung from his neck, the fluffy fabric grazing his well tones chest. I was surprised really that he was so well built. I mean, you can't really notice anything or get a good visual when he's covered by his uniform. But I was lucky I guess. _'The fan girls' would kill to be in my place.'_ I inwardly laughed.

"Ai-chan." he stated in his usual monotone. I snapped my gaze back to his alluring icy eyes, my blush only darkening further at being caught staring. There was a moment of silence as he stared at me. He raised him left hand and placed it on my cheek. "You're blushing." he stated bluntly. My face officially hurt at that moment. I quickly looked away, tearing my cheek from his soft palm. He chuckled softly and pulled me into the room. "Since you're here you might as well come in." He turned away and walked over to his closet, which was across the room. The handsome male disappeared for a moment before coming back out in blue sweats and a loose long sleeved yellow shirt. I blushed again. _'Damn it! I just got that under control! How can someone wear something so simple and make it look so damn sexy?'_

It was no secret that I had undoubtedly fallen head over heels in love with my bodyguard. It was hard not to. He was always so gentle with me, tender and caring. It amazed me how he could treat me in such a fashion and yet his expression stayed completely blank. When I tripped, he caught me. When the Day Class girls said nasty things, he'd take my hand. When Ruka or some other Night Class snobs were pestering me, he came to my rescue. Point is he's always around when I need him. Ichijou guessed it after the first two weeks. He didn't let it slide either. Whenever he could get the two of us alone he always came up with some excuse to leave.

_Oh, I'm going to check in with Kaname. _

_I'm going to secure the area._

_Did you hear that? I think I heard my name! I'm going to go check it out!_

They were always the worst excuses. Not to mention he'd always wink at us as he left with that great big dumb smile on his face. He looked like a kid with a secret…which he was…so I guess that makes perfect sense…Nonetheless! It was annoying.

I jumped slightly when I felt someone tap my forehead. Blinking I realized that Shiki was standing in front of me with a worried glint held in his apathetic eyes. "You were staring in to space. Something wrong?" he asked.

**Nightmare**. I scribbled down.

Shiki nodded. He didn't really have to ask, actually. It wasn't hard to discern what the issue was, but I nodded to agree with him. Shiki mimicked the motion and took my free hand in his, bringing me over to his gigantic bed. It was the first time I notice just how huge it was. _'Geez, I thought I had a huge bed.'_ I thought, my eyes widened a fracture in wonder. It honestly looked like the most heavenly place in the world. Shiki's hands latched themselves on my waist and lifted me up onto the bed. "What's this?" he asked, gently pulling the addressed envelope out of my hand.

**My letter to Noriko-san.**

"I'll put in the mail for you."

**Thank you!** I smiled turning the board to face him again. Shiki chuckled as he walked over to the small table beside his bathroom, setting my letter on his school bag, before disappearing into the bathroom. I took the opportunity to glance around his room a bit. In the near four weeks I had been at the Academy, I had never been in Shiki's room. The first thing I noticed was that every available flat surface was covered in assorted sweets, though mainly pocky. I had seen Shiki and Rima eating the dessert many times, but hadn't thought anything of it until now. _'I'd call this an unhealthy obsession.'_ My eyes shifted over to the bedside table next to me. I can't quite say what I noticed first. The magazine or the familiar crystalline gaze staring up at me from the front cover. Either way, I was stunned. I heard the bathroom door swing open and snapped my head in his direction. The same blue eyes displayed on the magazine stared straight at me now, only a little more curious.

"What's wrong?" I jutted my finger at the magazine cover that held his handsome visage. On the cover was his profile. He held a single blue rose between long fingers, the petals barely touching his equally soft looking lips. It was a stunning pose. I found myself almost envious of the _rose_!

He blinked a couple of times at the cover, before bringing his gaze back to mine. "Ah."

I dropped my jaw a moment before shaking my head and scribbling furiously, ** AH?! What do you mean 'Ah'?**

"It's my day job. No big deal." he replied with a shrug.

I shook my head in disbelief. **You never told me you were a model. Is that where you and Rima-san go?** Shiki nodded. Everything seemed to make better sense at that moment. I had always wondered what the two of them were doing during the 'night' when everyone else was supposed to be sleeping. He walked around the bed as I continued to stare at the spot that he once occupied. I was completely stunned. _'My bodyguard is a model? Now that's irony.'_ An arm wrapped around my waist and yanked me backwards on the soft bed. I shifted my blue gaze to his as he stared down at me. "I don't know why you're surprised. You're a photographer." he stated softly. I flinched. I had been. It was more of a hobby, but some of my pieces had sold for a pretty good price. I didn't care as much for the money as I did the art of it all. My mother had bought the camera for me, so it made it special. Photography was a part of the reason I was so tired the day I got kidnapped, however. I knew it was stupid to shy away from it, but I couldn't help but wonder if I had just gone to bed at a reasonable hour the night before instead of staying up to work on that photo, if I wouldn't have been in that situation.

"You could model, too." I diverting my gaze from his and shook my head. I had been asked a bunch of time to model for companies, but I had never been confident in my appearance enough to want the jobs. I was content behind the camera. Now that I was all scarred up from that monster, I definitely didn't have the confidence. Shiki shifted next to me, pulling my body so that it was next to his and under the covers. I noticed that there were two layers and that I was under both. My head rested on an extremely soft pillow and I had to stop myself from breathing in deeply. It smelled so much like him. It was intoxicating. "You need to have more faith in yourself, Ai-chan." he commented. I sunk into him a bit more. I didn't know if I could. I felt like I had been robbed of what little faith I had.

**I wouldn't be any good at it. ** I tried to reason with him.

"You don't know until you try." he answered back.

**But the scars—**I started writing.

"Can be edited out," Shiki huffed, pulling the board and marker out of my hands and placing it on his bedside table. Shiki sighed again tiredly, "When everything is settled, I'll bring you with me." he told me sleepily as he settled under the first layer beside me. "I'll help you."

'_You always do.'_ I thought sleepily, a tired smile covering my face. I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

So, I kinda still don't like this chapter. At least towards the ending. I tried to make it a little better but not sure how it went. Someone please let me know if I should re-edit this again to fix whatever the problem is. Thanks! And Happy Holidays!


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